Temptation
by AreethaShinozzo
Summary: When a case brings Gibbs back to his high school years, the team is forced to travel to New York, where Tony uncovers what Ziva has been hiding all this time.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N::: Ok, so this is officially my first fanfic. YAY! Im excited! :)) Props and tons of thanks to Taylor-V for helping me out!! 3. Well, obviously you're reading this to see the R&R part. So there is no point in telling you to read. So all I can say is REVIEW! And I hope you like it! :)_

_~Shinozzo_

**Chapter 1: In Blood**

Mrs. Evenson pulled her silver Dodge minivan into the driveway, having just finished running a couple errands, and noticed that her husband had already arrived.

_Great_, she thought irately. Now she couldn't surprise him with the dinner she'd planned for that night. He'd just returned from Iraq a week ago, and she was still getting used to having him around.

Gathering all of her groceries into her arms, she turned off the car with a twist of the keys and stepped out of the driver's seat. As she made her way up to the front door, muffled shouts exploded from the inside of her house. A gun shot stung her ears, stunning her so efficiently that the groceries in her arms dropped with a papery _crunch_ on the cement.

"Tom!" she screamed.

Whipping her cell phone out, Mrs. Evenson shakily dialed 911 and rummaged through her purse, scouring the mess frantically for her keys. She unlocked the door and rushed inside.

"Tom! Tom! Where are you?!" she shrieked, heart pounding a tattoo into her throat.

Blood. Blood _everywhere_. Staining the snowy carpet scarlet, smeared across the kitchen tile in a trail that led to the back door. If her heart hadn't been thrumming so erratically, it would've stopped. Stumbling weakly, she guided herself through the kitchen by leaning all her weight on the table, supported by her hand. Her feet slipped in the bloody path across the tile and she fought the urge not to puke. The back door had been left to swing ominously in the light breeze, as had the gate in the backyard. She staggered onto the grass, and after realizing that no one was there, followed the trail of red to the alley. The screech of tires burned her eardrums as a black suburban squealed around, driving faster than she could register what had happened. She screamed, yelled, cried for help, but no one came.

Tom was in there. _Tom_ had been taken. From _her_. And there was nothing she could do. She fell to the gravel, overcome with tears.

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The elevator door _ding_ed as Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo walked in, a fresh cup of coffee in his hand.

"Well, good morning, Agent McGee!" Tony cried cheerily, not at all the usual way he spoke to McGee.

"Uh, good morning?" Agent McGee replied, glancing confusedly around for a possible explanation of Tony's extreme shift in behavior.

"And how is my very special little agent doing this lovely morning?"

"What do you want, Tony?"

"Aw, Probie! Do I have to _want _something to tell you how very important you are to me?!"

McGee stood up and walked over to Tony's desk.

"What do you—oof! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!?!" McGee yelled, doubling over to grasp his now-throbbing shin.

"Yes, Tony," asked Mossad officer Ziva David, just walking in. "Why are you torturing McGee again?"

"Good morning to you _too_, Zee-vah!" Tony grinned, initiating her "special" nickname.

Ziva stabbed him with a shut-up-before-I-shoot-you look and he pouted playfully for just a second. McGee hobbled back to his desk and rubbed the spot on his shin where Tony had kicked him.

"Where is Gibbs?" Ziva wondered absently.

"Oh, you know. Up in the director's office having the daily argument with Mommy."

Ziva tried to warn him with a cautious glance, but—

"He's behind me, isn't—arg!" Tony yelped, attempting to disguise the ache in his head where Gibbs had smacked him. "Good morning, boss!"

"DiNozzo! Coffee!" Gibbs demanded.

"On it, boss!" And with that, Tony made his way down to retrieve said coffee.

He returned just in time to hand Gibbs the cup before his phone rang.

"Ya, Gibbs," he barked into the speaker.

To pass the time, Tony began pelting Ziva with spitballs. She glared at him with a murderous expression, silently warning him to try it one more time while McGee complained about his shin. Hanging up the phone, Gibbs stared in disbelief at his "team". He simply rolled his eyes, letting it slide this time.

"Grab your things. We've got a missing marine," he stated, heading off to the elevator.

Ziva and Tony followed immediately, with McGee trailing along.

"C'mon, Mc_Goo_, you're running behind," Tony teased.

"Yeah, well… if it wasn't for—"

"MCGEE, Get your butt over here! NOW!" Gibbs commanded.

He barely made it through the doors before they shut.

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The team arrived at the relatively clean crime scene, compared to what they were accustomed to. Stepping carefully inside, they spotted a woman, curled on her couch, tears streaking her cheeks with black mascara.

"DiNoz—"

"Get her statement. On it," Tony interrupted before Gibbs could finish his instructions.

"McGee—"

"Pictures and sketches," he sighed, shuffling off to do his duty.

"Ziva?"

"Bag and tag."

And Gibbs himself moved over to the commanding officer. "What happened here?"

"We got a call from the wife," the officer replied bluntly. "Said she was walking up to the front door when she heard shouting and a gun shot from inside. When she got in, they already got _out_. They went to the backyard, into the alley, and into a car. She says she got the plate numbers, so you might want to get it."

"Boss!" Tony called anxiously. "You might want to come check this out."

Gibbs made his way over to where everyone had gathered and took the paper Ziva held out to him.

"I found this on the floor next to the sofa," she stated softly.

In blood, still very much wet, the letters **NCIS** blazed ruby across the white paper.

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THE END!! Haha, no not really. (only of chapter 1) I will update soon! I guess when people review. Now I understand why writers say, "I will only update when you guys review!" LOL!


	2. Chapter 2

_HEY EVERYONE!! Thank you ssooo much to all of my reviewers!! I really felt special ^-^. lol. Again, a special thanks to Taylor-V. Also, a thank you to all of you subscribers! :))_

_Well i hope you like this chapter. Its gets a bit more into where the story is going. It will give you an idea! :)_

_DISCLAIMER::: i forgot about this in my last chapter. lol. I do not own NCIS and i do not wish to but i would like to be a part of it!! Lmao.. ;)_

_REVIEW!!! Let me know how im doing! :))_

_~Shinozzo_

**Chapter 2: Some Secrecy?**

Back at the office, everyone had cracked straight down to work. McGee had begun searching through all phone, bank, and credit card records, while Tony tried to locate the vehicle and set out a bolo for it. Everyone but Ziva, who had managed to disappear sometime.

_Wha—she was just here!_ Tony thought. _Where'd she go?_

"Probie! Where's Ziva?"

"I don't know, Tony," McGee snapped, obviously still sore from the morning's events. Oh well. "Why don't you go find her?"

"Fine then! I will!" Tony huffed.

His gut squirmed uncomfortably, warning him that something wasn't right. He slipped away from his desk and over to the bathrooms; it was closest, and private enough for Ziva to escape to. Sneaking past the ladies' room, Ziva's sharp tones snagged his ears and he froze outside the door. In her fury, her languages skipped around. Half English, half Hebrew.

"NO! If you even _try_ to come near me, or anywhere in this _country_ for that matter, you will regret the results, I swear on my life!! I do not care if my father wants you to come or not!"

Tony's face screwed up, baffled beyond measure at the strange words. Ear pressed to the door, he heard the _snap_ of a cell phone flipping shut, followed by the stomping of Ziva's light feet toward the door. He jerked away from it like he'd been electrocuted and dithered on the spot, deliberating on where he should hide. Spotting the water fountain, he dashed over and clumsily slammed the button down, spraying his shirt with the icy liquid.

"_What_ are you doing here, Tony," Ziva snarled, suddenly standing right behind him.

He straightened up, flashing her that charming DiNozzo smile. Brushing the wet spot on his shirt subconsciously, he said, "What does it look like, Ziva? I'm thirsty! Can't a guy be thirsty without a beautiful young lady biting his head off?"

With eyes made of steel, she glared at him all the way back to the squad room.

"DiNozzo! David! Where the _hell_ have you been?" Gibbs growled, jumping down their throats the minute they arrived.

"Sorry, boss," Tony said quickly. "We needed water."

"Boss, there was a hit on the bolo," McGee cut in before their butts could get chewed any further. "It was a rental, to some guy named Aram Saleem."

Gibbs frowned in his easy irritability. "Then run a background check."

"Already done boss." Tony slid him a cocky grin, bending over the computer. McGee's eyes narrowed indignantly. "Lives in New York City. Came here just a few months ago from Madagascar, where he's wanted for terrorist activity."

"Not good at disguising up, is he?" Ziva smirked.

"_Covering_, Ziva," Tony corrected, failing to hold back a chuckle. "_Covering_."

"Credit check reveals five airline purchases this morning," McGee piped up, fishing for some praise.

"Well, find out who for!" Gibbs ordered, visibly annoyed. "Do I have to _guide_ you through this?"

Director Shepard's voice rang out over them, calling Gibbs over to where she was stood outside her office. Glancing warningly one more time at his team, he left to meet her.

"Yes, Director?" he sighed exasperatedly.

"Agent Gibbs, Mrs. Evenson is here to see you."

"So? What am I supposed to do about it?" he snapped, obviously not desiring communication with anyone at the moment.

Shepard's eyes flashed threateningly. "So, _Jethro_," she spoke calmly, "you will go speak to her, _now_. If she wants to tell you something, there's a reason behind it."

The silent fight waged between their combating eyes didn't last long. With an exhalation of defeat, Gibbs dejectedly made his way to the conference room. Jenny stared after him for a little bit longer before returning to her office, disgruntled at his disrespectful demeanor.

In the conference room, Gibbs slammed the door and threw himself into a chair without making eye contact with Mrs. Evenson. She jumped at the loud noise, blinking multiple times, making him feel just a little guilty.

"I knew you looked familiar when I saw you, Agent Gibbs," she said softly, so quiet it was almost a whisper.

_Delightful_, he thought with a mental groan. How did he look familiar to her when he'd never seen her in his _life?_ He hated when that happened.

"Tom always kept this picture on his bedside table." She spoke in the same hushed tone as she withdrew an old photograph from her purse. "He always said, 'man, I wish I could find him. My best friend _Leroy_.'"

* * *

I'm Sorry This Chapter Is Super Short Compared To The Last One. I will update Chapter 3 soon now and it is much longer, i promise! Well, i hope you guys like where this is going! :))


	3. Chapter 3

Gibbs blanked for a minute, taking the picture in his suddenly trembling fingers. "Jim?" His voice took on the volume of hers; just a mumble.

Mrs. Evenson's wet face cracked a small smile. "He doesn't go by that name anymore, but yes. That is my husband."

Disbelief wrapped its cold, clammy fingers around his insides, freezing them until it was hard to breathe. "But… he looked so _different_ on his I.D."

"There was a bombing in Iraq—" her voice hitched and a fresh wave of tears rolled down her cheeks. "—he s-survived, but many oth-thers d-didn't. The blast scar-red him f-for life. I-I don't… he w-was nev-ver… th-the s-same…." A sob ripped through her chest.

Gibbs barely registered her words, so lost in his own bewildered thoughts. Right in front of his face. _Right_ under his nose. All this time, he'd been searching…. Right under his _freaking _nose.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

Jim Tommy Evenson.

How could he not have known? Of course Jim went by his middle name; it's what he himself had done. A memory forced its way into Gibbs's mind's eye, lost too long ago for him to recall on his own.

HR (line thingy)

_One by one, the senior class proceeded across the stage in the high school gym, practicing for the actual graduation. Leroy flashed a grin at Jim as he stealthily snuck back to where Leroy had been positioned._

"_How's life back in the G's?" Jim smirked mischievously, cutting ahead of Leroy._

"_Suckish," Leroy replied simply._

"_Well, I'm leaving then." Jim moved to return to his spot but Leroy grabbed his arm before he could._

"_Hey." His voice caught and he tried to disguise the fact that he was emotional. Guys weren't supposed to be emotional. How lame._

"_Yeah?" Jim didn't think anything of it; he never did._

"_Promise me something."_

"_Oh, Leroy, it's just so sudden…." Jim placed his hand over his heart. "Yes. I'll marry you."_

_Leroy smiled, but brushed the comment off. "I'm serious."_

"_I know." They stepped forward._

"_Promise we won't separate after high school?" Jeez. How gay did he sound right now?_

_Jim lifted his hand and balled it into a fist. Leroy followed suit. They touched knuckles and then clasped their hands around each other's, pulling their chests together with a familiar _thump_._

"_Promise," Jim said, the playfulness totally absent from his eyes._

"_Promise."_

HR

Two weeks later, they'd been shipped off to separate bases, and it tore Gibbs apart. They'd been best friends since childhood. Never left each other's side. And now that he had a chance to get that back, he wouldn't let those bastards take it from him!

"Agent Gibbs?" Mrs. Evenson said anxiously, wondering what could make him stare so intently off into space.

Without removing his eyes from the spot on the wall they'd been glued to, he spoke with such rigidity that Mrs. Evenson felt like she'd misbehaved in some way.

"Jim was taken by a group of Madagascar terrorists. Their car was located a little while ago; it was a rental vehicle. After turning it in, they caught a flight to New York City. There were five people, including your husband." Finally, he brought his eyes to her, his expression so stony that she couldn't look away. "And I promise you. We _will _find him. Alive."

HR

Lunch time! DiNozzo's favorite part of the day. As the case had taken most of his lunch hour, he had only thirty minutes to walk the block to Starbucks and back.

"McGeek! Lunch time!" Tony patted McGee's shoulders playfully and headed for the door.

"Not now, Tony," McGee frowned, concentrating hard on his computer screen. "I'm on to something."

"What about you, Zi—?" He swiveled around like a dog chasing its tail.

She was gone. _Again_.

"Where'd she _go?_" he cried in befuddlement for the second time that day.

This time, Tony was bound and determined to uncover what was up with her. She'd been looking disturbed all day, and her stubborn self wouldn't tell him why! _She must've gone out somewhere_, he thought resignedly. But she couldn't have gone too far. Since he was headed there anyway, he decided to start his search at Starbucks. It wouldn't hurt. Leaving McGee to his nerdy self, Tony strutted outside, headed for the tan coffee shop down the street.

Golden rays shone down on his neck, warming his skin pleasantly after the chilly air conditioning in the office. He tilted his face upward to point toward the sun, letting its warmth bathe over him like a hot shower. Resenting the shade the instant he walked into Starbucks, he pouted a little and shuffled to the counter. After placing his order, flirting a little with the pretty blonde cashier, and tossing a twenty near the register, he leaned on his elbow and scanned the shop habitually. A startled cough hacked up his lungs and the cashier offered him a glass of water that he turned down with a wave of his hand.

How did she _do_ that so _fast?_

Ziva sat in a far corner, way out of the public eye, grumbling some more into the speaker of her cell phone. So wrapped up in her conversation, she hadn't noticed Tony walk in. He sauntered smoothly away from the counter and slid into a chair right behind her, leaving Ziva completely oblivious to his presence. He tapped his fingers patiently on the table top.

"Daniel, there is _nothing_ in me for you," she insisted pleadingly. "_Please_ do not make this any harder than it already is."

_Well, at least I got a name,_ Tony thought with satisfaction. _Daniel, eh? Mossad, maybe. Pretty sure. Yeah, or else she wouldn't have been talking in Hebrew before._

After a long pause she responded, anger flaring up in her voice.

"If that is the way you want it, then fine. I will talk to my father, and _every_thing will be clear. Shalom." She spat the last word at him and slammed her phone shut so hard that it flipped back open again. Closing it softer the second time, Ziva slowly turned around, a prickling feeling on her neck inherited from Mossad training alerting her of someone watching. There he was; Tony sitting right behind her. She restrained the urge to throw her arms around him and decided to be angry instead.

"Tony!" she cried.

"Tony is not available at the moment. Please leave a message after the beep. BEEP!"

"Are you _following _me?" she screeched.

"_No_, Zee-vah. Lunch time, remember? I merely came to get myself a nice cup of coffee, dear lady." He spoke with a deep, gentlemanly voice.

His playfulness made Ziva's insides glow, but her outsides grew tough. Mossad training had taught her not to show emotion, no matter what the situation. But she found that the longer she worked with NCIS, the weaker she became.

"So…." Tony spun in his chair so that his legs straddled the back and he leaned his arms on the very top of the black metal, grinning mockingly. "Who was that?"

She brushed her wispy black bangs out of her eyes and angled her face away from him, acting as if she needed something from her purse to avoid looking at him. "That is none of your business, Tony," Ziva replied, ice encasing her words.

His face fell into a very serious frown. "C'mon, Ziva. We both know there's something bothering you. You can tell me." Tony leaned forward and craned his neck to have a better view of her face, touching his fingertips gently to her jaw and guiding it to his. "You can trust me," he breathed softly, gazing at her with such sincerity in his eyes that she couldn't doubt him.

Still, she drew her bottom lip in with her teeth and bit down, hard. Inhaling through her nose, Ziva pulled away from him and got lithely to her feet. She snatched up her bag and turned away, glaring at the wall as she spoke. "Tony, there is _nothing_ wrong. Just talking to an old friend. That is _it_."

She clutched the plastic cup of coffee and moved to the door, followed silently by Tony. The walk back to the office was shadowed by an uncomfortable quiet, like a cloud had descended on them and _only_ them. Tony didn't attempt to bring sunlight through the cloud, because it wouldn't help at all.

_Next time,_ he thought, scowling in grim determination.


End file.
